


Through Hell and Back - The True Journey

by KureMasasuke



Category: Helltaker (Video Game)
Genre: Angels, Demons, It was a fun concept in my head, Might add more tags as i go, Multi, My First Fanfic, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25113304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KureMasasuke/pseuds/KureMasasuke
Summary: Everyone knows the story of the Helltaker, but what was his journey through hell really like?Why so many rocks? Why the oddly places gates? Where did he get the courage to spout such cringy lines?This is my take on your adventure as the Helltaker.
Relationships: Azazel/Cerberus/The Helltaker/Judgement/Justice/Lucifer/Malina/Modeus/Pandemonica/Zdrada (Helltaker), Beelzebub/The Helltaker (Helltaker)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 95





	1. Zero - Chasing the Dream

**Author's Note:**

> The Helltaker (the reader) will be portrayed as some anonymous 90s action hero who's already done his action stuff, and now he's gotten a new goal in life. 
> 
> This is my first actually published fanfic, so feedback would be appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

**0 - Chasing the Dream**

You wake up with a start, rudely interrupted from your glorious dream by the sun shining on your face through a crack in the curtains. And what a glorious dream it was - a harem of demon girls, somehow all sharply dressed, by your side indulging in… amorous activities. It’s been the 69th time you’ve had this dream, in a row! If only it could be true...

A hero of the 90s, you’ve basically lived the high point of your life already. You’ve battled terrorists, ended cults and coups, and even stopped nuclear armageddon a few times - not something many people can lay claim to. Thanks to your adventures, here you are, nearly 30, the embodiment of masculinity and swimming in cash, yet completely alone and living in an entirely normal house. Hounded by the media and media, you squirreled yourself into an anonymous corner of Poland. While the peace is nice, you’ve just lost the drive you had before, something like burnout from saving the world one too many times.

 _“This can’t continue!”_ You think to yourself. _“I’ve got to do something with my life!”_

And so, in a brief moment of enlightenment this early morning (or maybe a moment of madness caused by an extended period of self-isolation alongside unusually raunchy dreams), you decide that you will make your nightly dreams a reality. You shall gather a harem of demon girls, preferably in formal office attire, and bring them to the mortal realm. What’s the worst that could happen?

You decide you need a new name too, since telling a demon your true name would probably not be a good idea. Devildoer, since that was your ultimate goal? No, it sounds much too rapey. Helltaker then, since you’d be **taking** demon girls out of **hell**? Yes, that sounded much better. From now on, you’d be the Helltaker.

* * *

It turns out that reaching hell is really easy; getting there alive is the tricky part. It seems that most entrances to the underworld involve leaping in active volcanos or plunging into bottomless chasms. Now you might be a tough guy, but you’re still human. Eating a few bullets or grenades is nothing compared to drowning in molten rock at over 1000 degrees. But you don’t lose hope. Using some of the favours and connections you’ve attained over your heroic journeys and a few raids on some facilities that were owned by the cults you destroyed, you managed to find a way to get your demons. A summoning ritual. Or more accurately, a reversed one.

A summoning ritual would get a demon to your world, but what if the demon didn’t fit your tastes? Not only that, you’d be forced to make a contract with them at the cost of your soul, so you’d only be able to summon one (demons don’t like sharing their contracted souls after all), so your dream of a harem would die instantly. So you studied some demonic runology, and found a way to reverse the ritual to drag you into hell instead, intact and alive. Nice!

Dressed in your finest suit, decorated with a rose and your favourite shades, you step into the ritual circle you drew on the ground and prepare yourself. A strange sense of nervous anticipation fills you, as you see the runes begin to glow and the air begins to tremble. Yes, this was the excitement you felt back in the day! The thrill of a new adventure! This journey was certainly going to be much more dangerous than anything you’ve done before, and it could definitely end in the damnation of your soul, but the pros outweigh the cons.

 **“When it comes to demon girls, no price is high enough,”** you thought, as you descended down to hell.


	2. I - Customer Service?

**I - Customer Service?**

Your first impressions are very different than you expected. Upon arriving, you realized that it was… calm. Very calm. No raging heat, no biting cold, no screams of tortured souls. The sky, if you could call it that when you’re in the Underworld, was a dull mix of grey and brown. The air was stagnant yet slightly chilly, and you were surrounded by rock faces and haphazardly scattered boulders.

“It might be one of the upper levels of Hell,” you thought aloud to no one in particular. “I’m pretty lucky I didn’t get tossed into somewhere like the 9th circle… I didn’t really account for that in the reversed summoning ritual.”

As you wandered around, you began to notice somewhat of a path, though it looked poorly maintained. With nothing better to do, you began to follow it, and encountered something that stopped you cold.

 _“Crap.”_ You thought to yourself as you gazed upon the obstacles. _“Skeletons…”_

In front of you were three human skeletons, filled with some sort of dark miasma that must be keeping them intact and animating them. In your frenzy, you neglected to bring any weapons, which was a grave oversight. Why have you forgotten something so important? Of course everything you meet in Hell isn’t going to be friendly! It’s goddamn **Hell** , after all! But then you notice something else. These potentially dangerous skeletons looked just as poorly maintained as the road you’re walking on. Their bones are ancient and cracked, and the miasma in them was barely a black mist that seemed to be desperately holding those old bones together. Their gazes were empty, and they swayed purposelessly in a breeze that didn’t exist. Tentatively, you creep up to one of the skeletons blocking your way from behind and tap its spine.

No reaction.

This time, you give it a full power shove, and the skeleton flies into a neighbouring rock face and smashes against it, falling apart to pieces as the block fog within it fades into the air. The other skeletons don’t react either. Maybe their creator isn’t actively controlling them, or they’re like puppets which only act when certain conditions are met? Regardless, they don’t seem to be a threat, though you’ll keep watching your back as you push forwards.

As you push forwards along the archaic dirt-and-stone path, shoving any offending boulders out of your way, you begin to feel a deep exhaustion sink into your bones. This isn’t right… even if you haven’t been fighting for your life for a few years, you’ve kept in shape. No way a brief walk and moving a few rocks should make you this tired. Was this a side effect of hell? Draining you of your strength before condemning you to eternal punishment?

“I’ve got to get through this place before I collapse,” you mutter to yourself as you continue your advance, now with a sense of urgency.

After shoving ANOTHER goddamned boulder out of the way (why so many on a path seemingly built for people to walk on?), you reach a bit of a clearing, where you see a person (demon?) sitting at a desk, positioned beside a large, cavernous hole in the cliff face. With great relief, you rush forwards, glad that this exhausting and annoying road is now behind you. 

* * *

As you approach the unusually placed desk, you notice the worker sitting at the desk. She appears to be a slim young woman, dressed in black suit and red shirt with a name tag around her neck. She has curly white hair, pale skin, a pair of round glasses, crimson eyes, and most importantly, two black horns on her head. A literal demon girl, even complete in a suit. Your dream might come true after all. The woman raises an eyebrow at you while maintaining her apathetic expression before speaking in a voice just as emotionless.

“Name’s Pandemonica, Hell’s Customer Service. How may I serve you?”

A thousand questions run through your head at once, each trying their best to be asked by you. Hell has customer service? What was with that shoddy road? Isn’t Pandemonica a rather crude name for a girl to have? But somehow, a single phrase managed to pass through your lips before your conscious brain could stop it, cobbled together from dozens of crappy romance novels you’ve read combined with what little you know about this apparent demoness in front of you.

“You look completely exhausted, maybe I could serve YOU instead?” You ask, voice laced with confidence you definitely aren’t feeling now.

The woman, supposedly Pandemonica, blinks at you, and you think it’s all over. What the hell was that? After all the work you went through to reach Hell, you spout one of the cheesiest lines you could imagine at a supernatural being that could probably kill you with a snap of her fingers. At least you claim to be the first human make to Hell alive with only your own abilities...

“Sweet of you to offer. I could really use some coffee, since I’m not myself without it.” Pandemonica said. She must’ve noticed your look of disbelief, since she visibly wilted a little before adjusting her glasses and saying, “Of course, as much as I would like that, coffee doesn’t actually exist in Hell, and I’ve got a job to do. Now, what sector are you supposed to be in, wayward soul?”

You realize this is a heaven-sent chance (a little ironic given you’re in Hell) to recover from your tragic mistake a few moments ago. Time to double down and explain what you’re doing here.

“I’m serious about offering to help you. I’m not a wayward soul, I’m a living human. I came down here looking for demons.”

Pandemonica tilts her head and narrows her eyes as she gazes at you, her crimson eyes seemingly glowing in the dim lighting of the underworld.

“Oh Satan, you’re actually a live human.” She exclaims in shock, her face morphing to match her tone of voice. “Oh my Satan, there’s a real human in Hell talking to me. The training course never taught me how to deal with an actual flesh-and-blood human...”

“I’m honestly just here to see what Hell is like and hopefully meet people,” you say, which is part of the truth, “I’d greatly appreciate it if you could guide me through this place and explain how everything works.”

Pandemonica has seemingly calmed down somewhat and seems to consider your offer before responding. “I’d be glad to answer any questions you have, but I’m afraid I can’t be your guide. My contract states I must stay at my post during work hours.”

“And how many visitors have you gotten here lately?”

“...three in the past decade, including you.”

You’re a little shocked she’s had the post for over a decade, before realizing that she’s a demon and they probably have really long lifespans or maybe they're straight up immortal. You respond with another question.

“And how often do your supervisors check up on their employees?”

“... they’re scheduled for once a year, last visit was a month ago.”

“And what work do you have to do when there are no visitors?”

“...I keep the place in relative order and do some daily paperwork.”

Satisfied with the answers you’ve received to your questions, you state, “While your work is certainly important, I’m sure a short break from it could do you a lot of good. I doubt you’ll miss anything important, and how many chances do you get at being the travel companion of a live human in Hell?” Then you deliver what is hopefully a finishing statement. “As thanks for all your help, I’d be glad to get some coffee down for you from the mortal realm.”

Pandemonica stares at you intently while maintaining her perfect posture, seemingly deep in thought. After what feels like several minutes, she finally responds. “I’ll help guide you through Hell, but you better get that coffee for me. And if I lose my job or get demoted thanks to you, you’d better be ready to face the consequences, coffee or not.”

You two share a firm business handshake to seal the deal. Despite the dire threats to your soul, you can’t but do a mental fist pump of joy at acquiring the services of a pretty demon lady.

 **Success!** Harem+1, hopefully? You should probably get to know her a bit better before springing that on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Answers as to why the route was in such disrepair and why they get such few visitors shall be discussed next chapter. Will loosely associated to reasons why Malina hates her life in Vanripper's comic.


	3. II - Dangerous Love

**II - Dangerous Love**

Having a demon as a traveling companion in Hell had turned out to be a great benefit, since now you didn’t have to mindlessly wander the wastelands to achieve your goals. You were starting to feel bad for poor Pandemonica though, who looks more tired than when you first found her. You had been hammering her with countless questions once you agreed to work together after all.

Turns out you were currently on the outskirts of the first ring of Hell, which was meant to be as annoying as possible for sinners, which explained why the paths had been intentionally kept in disrepair and blocked with boulders. The paths even held another nasty secret - they intentionally drained human’s willpower as you walked over them. Apparently losing willpower brought forth one’s despair, which demons loved to harvest. Hell overall had a pretty hands-off approach to punishment even in the deeper circles, save for the demons who delighted in causing others excessive pain. However, this hands-off approach had also led to an oversaturation of the job market, which was why demons like Pandemonica mostly worked on menial and pointless tasks. Even though the number of human sinners was growing faster and faster, more sinners didn’t mean more jobs at an equivalent rate. It only takes one demon to supervise a lava pit after all, regardless of how many souls are stuck in there to suffer. Hell was turning out much more… pragmatic than you had expected.

Currently, you two were headed towards a demon that Pandemonica claimed would be _“most beneficial for your sinful goals”_ after she managed to force your true reason for coming down to Hell out of you. That had been quite an awkward conversation...

**\- FLASHBACK -**

“So why did you decide to come down to Hell?”

“As I said, I came down here because I was curious about what Hell and demons are like,” you explain, hopefully coolly. It wouldn’t do you well to alienate your guide with your demon harem dream before you familiarized yourself with this foreign realm.

She raises a questioning eyebrow at you as she replies, “Unarmed, completely unprepared, wearing a formal suit and shades?” 

“I’ll admit the depth of my planning was not what it should have been.”

She isn’t dissuaded though, and seems determined to find out your secret. “From the short time I’ve spent with you, you don’t strike me as the particularly dim-witted or delusional sort, which is why I find it so odd. How could such important things have not come to mind? You were coming down to Hell after all, and humans don’t seem to have fond ideas of this place.” 

You’re somewhat glad she doesn’t think you’re an idiot, but she’s slowly picking away at your lies. As expected of a demons, who embodies human sins.

“...my priorities were elsewhere.” You say.

Wrong response it seems, as she immediately launches into a counterargument. “Priorities above necessities like food, and staying alive?” She pauses for a moment before continuing, “such carelessness was probably motivated by one of the cardinal sins. From what I know about you, I doubt it’s wrath or envy, and sloth and gluttony aren’t really relevant when trying to visit Hell. Pride, for being the first living human to visit here? Greed, in hope of acquiring hidden demonic riches? Don’t know how lust would apply here, but…” You realize your face must’ve twitched or something when she mentioned lust, because she stops her analysis and gives you an incredulous stare.

“Lust?” She asks in confirmation. No real point in hiding it, now that she’s figured out this much, and you doubt you could convince her otherwise.

You heave a mighty sigh and begin to speak, “I came down to hell to try and fulfill a recurring dream of mine. Having a harem full of demon girls.” You close your eyes despite wearing extremely dark shades, not wanting to see her expression of disgust. Inside, you feel like a teenager again about to be lectured by a disapproving parent. Instead you hear an uncharacteristic bark of laughter from the lady in question.

“A demon harem? Oh my, I’ve seen it all now. Not just a living human in hell, but one looking to make a harem of demons, based on a dream! I commend your ambition and initiative, you’re much more sinful than I thought! Maybe you making it down to Hell was more fate than dumb luck!” Pandemonica looks like she’s having the time of her life as she talks about (ridicules?) your true goal.

“You’re not appalled by it?” You have to ask. Seeing the serious and fatigued demoness laugh with such mirth was not the expected reaction at all.

“I’m a demon, and we revel in sin. Appalled? Even some higher-ups would admire a mere human having such desires. Were you hoping I’d join your coven of sorts?”

“Uh... maybe,” you lamely reply, “you are a pretty demoness after all.” The surprisingly shameless demon has the decency to blush a bit at your compliment.

“I’m flattered you think of me like that, but I’ve hardly known you long enough to devote myself to your non-yet-existent harem. Though…” She eyes you up and down like a piece of meat. “...you are a rather attractive human male. However, I’m just here for the promise of coffee. We’ll have to see about sexual activities later, but I’ll be glad to assist you in your dream for now!”

“Thanks…” Leave it to a demon to discuss forming a harem of beings like her so casually.

“Now I know a lovely demon who would **definitely** be interested in your harem…”

**\- END OF FLASHBACK -**

Now that Pandemonica had calmed back down to her tired persona, you two were towards a demon named Modeus who was apparently well known for her lust. However, your path was very noticeably blocked by a field of spines and spikes of various sizes. You didn’t see any obvious way to avoid it.

“Is this the only way through? I don’t fancy getting myself impaled,” you ask.

Pandemonica adjusts her glasses and says, “Since we travel together, I might as well do my job.” It’s a sarcastic routine she’s gotten into after you overloaded her with various questions about Hell. “You’ve noticed how exploring Hell takes a lot of will? In Hell, if you run out on will, you die. Well, damned souls are normally forced back to wherever they started from, but since you’re still alive, you’ll die.”

Nothing new so far, she’s already said this before.

“Walking through spikes takes twice the will. The trick is to spend as little time on spikes as possible.”

“I just lose willpower, I won’t get horribly wounded and just die anyways?” You ask in disbelief.

“Traps like this in the upper circles of Hell are illusions meant to drain your will. You’ll see yourself get impaled and feel the pain, but you won’t be physically wounded.” She smirks with a modicum of glee. You shiver at the idea of Pandemonica having a hidden sadistic side, but nod in acknowledgment. If it’s just the pain and willpower, you can push through it.

“Thank you for relying on Hell’s Customer Service. How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the provided help, on a scale of 1 to 10?” Ah, she was continuing with her service facade. You reply with a 10 out of 10 as usual.

She rolls her eyes and pretends to write in her clipboard as she says, “Whoa, never got a ten before.”

However, playtime’s over now. You crack your neck and do some basic stretches. Time to smash a few skeletons, shove a few boulders, and run through some spikes. For the harem!

* * *

Making short but exhausting work of the obstacles, you find yourself facing Modeus in a corner of the valley. She has wavy, shoulder-length white hair supernaturally adorned with little red hearts and is **VERY** curvy in all the right places. Despite her supposed reputation, she’s dressed very respectably with a jacket, turtleneck, skirt, and tights. Red and black office wear seems to be popular amongst the demons, and you have no complaints. Before you can even say anything, she speaks to you first.

“You and me, now.” She purrs. She shifts her body to accentuate her considerable assets and her tail shifts behind her in a manner that could only be described as seductive.

Damn, guess Pandemonica wasn’t lying about her lustful nature. You’re about to happily agree and claim the first true member of your harem before you notice a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Are her pupils… heart-shaped? And is that a blood-stained sledgehammer behind her, leaning against that boulder? You’re suddenly a little less eager to get on with this immediately. She seems very... aggressive. 

“No time, busy gathering girls.” You respond, clearly communicating your reason for seeking her out. Pandemonica recommended being straightforward with Modeus. “Maybe later, once I have my harem of demon girls together.”

Her eyes widen as she stares at you intently, a flush of excitement washing over her face.

“Demon harem? You poor fool… they will rip you to shreds,” she says passionately, “and I HAVE to see this.” She adds in a whisper at the end.

You’re glad she’s agreed to come along, but what is this about being torn to shreds? You give Pandemonica behind you a knowing glance.

“I must’ve forgot to mention it, but most demons don’t get along very well. Forming a harem will undoubtedly cause some jealousy, anger, violent fights… You’ll be lucky to stay alive for a week.” Pandemonica says with a cruel smile. Yes, she definitely has a sadistic streak hidden under her fatigue, and you’re glad she’s too tired to act as sadistically as she’d like. If you get out of this whole ordeal alive, you think that decaffeinated coffee would be best for her...

Modeus chimes in with her own, somewhat warped opinion, “Yes… experiencing too much love will kill someone.”

You wonder about what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into, and question which will be tougher: this girl-gathering journey, or maintaining the harem life afterwards? Only time will tell.

Anyways, **success!** Harem+1, for sure this time! The sledgehammer is worrying though, so you should probably re-educate Modeus on her concepts about love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how short Modeus's appearance is, but I've always thought of her encounter as quick and no-nonsense. She'll definitely be prominent in later chapters though!


	4. III - Triple Trouble

**III - Triple Trouble**

Your group, composed of a live human, tired customer service girl, and lustful succubus, is probably a strange sight for any sort of being you might encounter down here. You do appreciate the sort of formation you three have developed while walking though, with Pandemonica walking briskly at your left and Modeus clinging to your right arm. 

“So where are we headed now?” You ask Pandemonica. 

“Nowhere really in particular, just wandering the paths closer to population centers. I don’t really have any good ideas who to specifically look for, and I’d rather not bring a living human right into a demon city, you know?” She says. Fair point too. 

“You have any idea who to look for, Modeus?” You ask your other companion. 

She lifts her head to gaze at you with her hazy eyes before saying, “I’m sure any demoness would be glad to join your harem, Taker…”

Ah right, you had told these two the moniker you decided to go by when you started this journey. They couldn't just keep calling you "you" or "human", after all. After a round of laughs at your "excessive confidence and ego", they've decided to call you Taker since you haven't actually got out of Hell yet. 

Modeus's suggestion wasn't really that helpful, so Pandemonica decides to come through. 

“While we may not really have a clue who we’re looking for, we can certainly brush up on your persuasion skills. While most demons would probably be impressed with your desires, some might view themselves as far above a lowly human, so tread carefully.”

You nod in agreement. Having a potential harem member kill you before you even get your dream off the ground wouldn’t be optimal. 

“Demons also love sugary foods, which could be helpful if they’re particularly gluttonous…” Pandemonica continued. 

Sugar, huh? You can make some **mean** chocolate pancakes, and it turns out that skill might be more useful than you expected. You’re about to reply when your unusual trio’s conversation is interrupted by a sudden howl of voices. 

“Hey, hey, hey! Is someone out there? Can you please let us out?” 

* * *

You, Pandemonica, and Modeus find yourselves facing an immensely tall golden fence, with a gate door in the middle of it. Three identical, rather desperate looking faces are squished together against the golden bars, staring at your group. 

“Monica, is that you? Can you  **please** let us out?” The three say in near perfect synchronization. Is that Pandemonica’s preferred name? You turn to look at Pandemonica who sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. 

“Cerberus, what are you doing here?” She replies. 

Cerberus? The three-headed dog that supposedly guards the underworld? You take a closer look at the three identical girls in front of you. They look like they’re just about 20 from a human perspective, and have the characteristic red eyes, white hair, and pointed tail of the other demons. However, instead of horns, they have fluffy dog-like ears and their canine teeth seem to be a bit longer than normal. 

“We were playing around in this old confinement space, when we accidentally shut the gate behind us and also tossed the key outside in a frenzy. We’ve been stuck here for half a day...” They said as their ears drooped and their expressions turned sad, speaking again with uncanny synchrony. 

You’ve heard about confinement spaces from Pandemonica, who states they were used in Old Hell to trap sinners for periods of time to harvest their despair. Turns out letting them wander aimlessly in the wastelands was more efficient though, so most confinement spaces were abandoned after the reform a few centuries ago. You didn’t expect them to look so glittery and grandiose, though...

Pandemonica is silent with her eyes shut in frustration at the trapped girls and Modeus is staring at you wantonly as usual, so it’s up to you to help the poor triplets. 

“Where did you toss the key? I can try to help get it for you girls.”

The three demons seem to light up at your offer of help and reply, “Somewhere **_wayyyy_** over there!” 

The lead one gestures into the distance, past several pillars and an entire cliff face. Seriously? These slim looking girls tossed the key that far? Looking at the size of the keyhole on the gate, the key should be pretty sizable too. 

“If you’re strong enough to throw the key that far, couldn’t you just break out here?” You have to ask. The three of them look somewhat ashamed, and one of them gnaws nervously on a fingernail. 

“We could, but Lucifer threatened to withhold lunch and dinner for a year if we caused any more damage…” 

You suppose Lucifer is the big boss down in Hell, as some biblical human sources say, or at least someone high up the ladder. It's probably best that Cerberus’s decided to not draw the anger of this powerful being. 

Pandemonica finally chimes into the conversation. “I still remember the time when you wreaked havoc along the path I work on and smashed my desk...” She glares a bit at the three girls but is smirking a little, and Cerberus (or Cerberuses, since there were three?) looks playfully apolegetic. You're glad the two (four?) don't have a terrible relationship with each other. 

“I’ll go grab the key and let Cerberus out, and you guys can chat as fellow demons, ok?” You say. “Any tips for me on how to get through this puzzle field of skeletons and spikes to get this key?”

Surprisingly, Modeus is the one that responds instead of Pandemonica. “Advice? Easy. Skip all the puzzles, gather all the bitches, and let’s engage in proper harem activities.” 

You didn’t really expect any helpful insight from Modeus anyways, but this advice was particularly confusing. How would you "skip" this? Pandemonica comes through again though. 

“Please, forgive Modeus.” She begins, “Most demons are like. Lust for sin is in our blood, hard to keep it in check.” 

You feel that Pandemonica’s will is weaker than she claims and her weariness is the only thing suppressing her sadism, but don’t mention it. 

“As for the puzzle… Try not to spend too much time kicking around those undead slaves and you should be fine.”

You sigh and prepare for another arduous trek through an unforgiving path, as you know better than to ask Pandemonica and Modeus for help. As they said,  _ “you got yourself into this mess, so have fun getting out of it.”  _ As march forwards, y ou glance back for a moment to see Pandemonica and Modeus eye the Cerberus three with some mysterious intent. 

* * *

After a rather painful run through several spike piles and smashing one of the undead thralls, you manage to grab the key and head back to the gate where Cerberus got herself trapped. The girls in question and your companions seem to have been waiting for you with some sort of weird anticipation. You unlock the gate and swing open the heavy door as the girls shout out a _“Thank you!”_ before rushing out in a blur. They run around the clearing in wild zigzags and circles, seemingly to burn off their pent-up energy, before gathering in front of you. 

“Are you a human? A real human? Please, take us with you.” They say, their tails wagging wildly and their faces full of anticipation. 

It seems like Pandemonica and Modeus have briefed them on who you are. You’d hate to crush their expectations, but their youthful exuberance makes you feel somewhat guilty. You must tell them on what they’re getting into…

“...you do know I’m trying to form a harem of demon girls, right?”

“Of course, of course!” They exclaim, “We can all have lots of fun playing together!” 

You’re glad they know, but their naive-sounding reply doesn’t ease your guilt at all. While thinking about exactly what to say to these lively demons, Modeus presses up against your back and sensually whispers in your ear. 

“They may act somewhat childish, but we’re all demons here... She’ll be glad to play with you that way too, we made sure to ask them...” 

You turn your head a bit to catch the sexually-charged demoness with a side glance and raise a questioning eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

“ _Veeery_ sure,” Modeus says with a suggestive smile, “I can go into the details of our conversation if you want…”

You shake your head and turn back to the still waiting dog girls, catching their attention with a cough and straightening up your stance. Oh well, might as well follow through with your dream. 

“Deal. No questions asked.” You stay with a stiff nod. “Glad to have you on board, Cerberus.”

You’re still mildly uncomfortable with them joining, though even though Cerberus should be at least a few thousand years old if mythology is anything to go by. 

The Cerberus three jump up and down excitedly, hugging each other with glowing smiles on their faces. “Yes! At last! It’s time to corrupt the mortal realm!”

You can’t help but smile at their antics, despite their rather ominous aspirations. You’re dealing with triplets though, so you gotta get one thing clear first. 

“So what are your names?” You ask the three after they calm down from their celebrations. 

They blink at you confusedly before saying, “We’re Cerberus?”

“No, I mean your individual names. Aren’t you girls triplets?”

The three demon dogs just blink at you in confusion as Pandemonica lets out a small chuckle. 

“They might look like three, but Cerberus is still one demon, Taker. One soul, living in three bodies at the same time.” She says. Now it’s your turn to blink in confusion.

“How does that work?” You ask the one/three in question. 

She/they shrug and say, “It just happened one day when we tried to go three ways at once.”

“So you weren’t always like this?”

“No, during Old Hell we used to be this BIG dog with three heads! We can still turn back if we try, but we like being in three so we can do more stuff at once!”

You suppose the Greek’s interpretation of Cerberus had some truth after all, though that raises some concerns about both Cerberus and demons in general. 

“So how should I address you? Singular or plural? Should I have some way to distinguish between your three bodies?”

They shrug again, uncaring. “We don’t really care much, you can come up with names for us three if you want, though all of us can hear you at once.”

Damn, dealing with one individual split in three was pretty troublesome. Giving them names would help you call on one of the bodies specifically, though they seemed perfectly identical. Worth considering this later… 

As for your concern about demons in general, you ask your group, “Do all demons have inhuman forms?” 

You wouldn’t be too bothered if any of your girls turned out to also be some sort of Eldritch abomination if they usually stayed human, but you need to know to avoid getting caught off guard and freaking out. 

“No, most don’t actually," Pandemonica answers with a shake of her head. "Basically only the demons of Old Hell have alternative forms, though staying in human form is typically most convenient when it comes to work. Any issues, Taker? Cold feet, perhaps” 

“No, not really,” you say, “just need to be mentally prepared just in case. Now, let’s get going!” 

You assume your usual travel formation, but this time with Cerberus scampering around you three. 

**Success!** Harem+1, or +3 by body count! This one-soul-in-three-bodies deal was going to be a little confusing for a while. 

Watching the three bodies of Cerberus run around in identical shirts, vests, ties, and pants brings forth a nagging question that’s been eating away at you ever since you saw Modeus though. 

“Why are all demons sharply dressed in red and black?”

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bit of a cliffhanger end. This chapter was getting pretty long!   
> No objections to Hell's fashion sense though, and I thank Vanripper for bringing this style of demon girls to light.


End file.
